Skate clamp



Nov. 16, 1948. A, A, Town] v 2,453,876

SKATE CLAMP Filed May 9, 1947 INVENTOR.

FITTOQNEV more particularly, to clamps: which are. designed to be iattached .to the: platezofsa sleate :for clamp- 1 ing .the .skate iuponian ordinary street-shoe; which provided .with:soles .sufid'cientlyxrigidzto support 5 Patented Nov. 16, 1948 2,453,876

N'I'TEB S TATES PATENT liCIE 52,453,816

-SKATE CLAMP Albert narrower Benn, .Nev. 'Applicationl [ay 9, 1947; Serial -No. #47 ,033 4 Claims. (01. 280-1131) This invention :relates :to .skateclamps. and, A furtherobjectiis itoprovide in*a skate clamp having the. aboveuicharacteristics novel resilient means for exerting. a predetermined clamping -.-.-action.of the-clamp upon .the.sole:of+a= shoe;

The above :and 'Sother objects will ibeu made apparent throughout the :further description of theskates.

r the invention when taken .in' connection with the Although a great many devices r havetbeentried for clamping skates .up'on shoes, in almost every instance it has been found that in practice these clamping m'ean's' are deficient-for some reason or other. It frequentl ihappens thatthe clamps are so designed that although initially'tight, they readily become loosened during use. It has also been found that-because ofthe fact that many clamps 'depend upon screwa'ithreads of relatively small-diameter for their tightening actiomithese screw threads become jammed'with ice on some \occasions or perhaps becomerinoperablelibecause of rust or dirt. Moreover, clamps heretofore proposed generally depend upon the skill of the operator in aflixing the clamp to the sole of a shoe. Such clamps are positive in action and when undue stress is used in the clamping opera tion, the shoe soles are damaged unnecessarily and undue strain is placed upon the clamps. While it is necessary that skate clamps be sufficiently rigidly attached to the sole of a shoe, it is desirable that the clamping action be limited to the gripping action required in order to prevent damage to the sole of a shoe. Also, all of 30 the prior clamping devices known to me have been so designed that their manufacture has been difficult and in many cases relatively expensive, so that a considerable portion of the cost of the skate lies in the cost of the clamp.

It is one object of this invention to provide a skate clamp that will overcome the above difficulties.

Another object is to provide a skate clamp of a new and improved design consisting of a simple structure which provides the required clamping action upon the sole of a shoe and so constructed that it can be readily adjusted without the use of a key or other tool.

Another object is to provide a skate clamp 45 that will be sufiicientl resilient in its clamping position to permit its use on shoes having soles of different dimensions without impairing the This means consists of an elongated member 21 effectiveness of the clamp. spaced from the plate by tubular spacing mem- A further object is to provide a skate clamp 50 her 28 and turnably fixed with respect to the having the above characteristics whereby the plate ID by mea s f a bolt brad 29 extending through an opening 3| centrally of the plate In,

clamp may be readily released from the sole of a shoe by simultaneous operation of clamping the tubular member 28 and a central opening elements engageable with opposing sides of a 32 provided in the member 21.

shoe sole. 55 The inner end of the spring 25 is connected to accompanying drawings :wherein like 1 reference characteristics refer to like parts. It is 156- be 1 distin'ctlyxunderstood that thedrawings are not .a definition :of 'thezinventionxbutmerelyillustrate certain exemplaryrforms by-z.means'='of which the 'invention .m'ay'be efiectuated.

Inuthe drawings: Fig. :1 is a bottom view of the forward portion *ofzafskate platershowing one embodimentdfthe @presentxskatewclamp iin ireleased position.

Fig. is a'view similar to iEig. 11 showing the skate clampiin clampingsposition. r

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fi 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l0 indicates a forward portion of a skate plate having disposed on the bottom of the plate a pair of guide members II and I2. The guide members H and I2 are placed adjacent the opposite edges the ball of a foot would rest. Each of these guides II and I2 has its ends l3 and 14 fixed to the opposing surface of the plate I0 and is formed to provide a recess through which the clamps l5 and I6 are slidably mounted. The outer ends of the clamps l5 and I6 are each provided with upturned jaws l1 and I8 for engaging the cooperating edge of the sole of a shoe. The inner end of clamp l5 terminates in an offset flange l9 to which one end of a spring 2| is connected as shown at 22.

The inner end of flange l6 terminates in a downwardly extending flange 2-3, the latter terminating in an inwardly extending flange 24, the free end of the flange 24 being connected to to one end of a spring 25 as shown at 26. Means is provided centrally of the plate H! for controlling the tension on the springs 2| and 25 for clamping or releasing the jaws l1 and I8 with respect to the cooperating edges of the sole of a shoe.

of the sides of the plate It) at substantially where a projection 33 integral with one end of the member 2'! as shown at 34. The inner end of spring 2| is connected to the free end of a lever 36 as shown at 31, the other end of the lever 38 being rigidly fixed adjacent one end of the member 21 as shown at 38. Finger grip members 4! and 42 are provided in order that an operator may rotate the member 2'! for exerting tension of the springs 2| and 25 by turning the member 21 clockwise or releasing the tension on the springs 2i and 25 by turning the member 21 counterclockwise. A stop member 40 projecting from plate l0 cooperates with an edge of member 21 to maintain said member and associated springs 2| and 25- in locked position.

The member 21 is provided with an upstanding flange 42 spaced from the longitudinal axis of member 21, the flange 42 being at the extremity of an extension 43, thereby preventing such gripping member 82 from contacting spring 25 when the clamp is in locked position.

While I have illustrated and described certain forms of the present invention, it will be now understood by those skilled in the art that certain changes, additions, modifications and substitutions may be made in the exemplary forms illustrated and described without departing from the spirit'and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clamp device for a skate having a bottom plate for attachment to a shoe comprising: a pair of clamps having jaws for engaging the opposite sides of the sole of a, shoe, an elongated member pivotally supported by said plate and intermediate said clamps, a pair of springs connecting said clamps with opposite ends of said member, and means for rotating said member to cause the springs to urge said clamp toward one another and into clamping relation with the sole of the shoe.

2. A clamp device in accordance with claim 1 wherein an over-center means is provided for maintaining the device in clamping position.

3. A clamping device for attaching a skate having a bottom plate, to a shoe, comprising: a pair of clamping elements slidably mounted on said plate for engaging opposite side edges of a sole of a shoe; a lever pivotally mounted on said plate between said clamping elements; a spring connected to the inner end of each of said clamping elements; and means connected'to said pivoted lever member for varying the effective force of said springs on said clamping elements.

4. In a clamping device for attaching a skate having a bottom plate, to a shoe, the combina tion of: a pair of clamping elements slidably carried by the bottom plate for engaging the opposite side edges of the sole of a shoe; an elongated member pivotally carried by said plate intermediate said clamps; a pair of springs connecting said clamps With opposite ends of said elongated member; finger grip elements carried by said elongated member for rotating said member; and a stop carried by the bottom plate for cooperative engagement with one edge of said elongated member to releasably hold the same in locked position.

ALBERT A. TOLOTTI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES 'PATEN'IS l o W 

